Play horse



Nov. 22, 1949 w. J. BARRETT 2,488,893

PLAY HORSE Filed Dec. 5, 1945 Patented Nov. 22 1949 1 UNITED STATES PATEN F PLAY HORSE Walter J Barrett, Detroit, Mich. Application December 5, 1945, Serial No. 632,911

1 Claim. 1 This invention relates to play horses and'similar animal simulations which may be ridden by children and has for its object to provide such 'a device which-may be very simply and economically constructed without sacrificing attractive appearance and strength and in which typically movabl parts of the simulated animal maybe ingpartial or individual assembly of parts within the framework or adjustment of such parts during or after assembly.

Still further, it is an object of the said invention to provide in such a device the simulation of an animal wherein the-side members thereof are in the form of fiat-boards of suitable outline for the purpose of such simulation, and a unitary link structure for-operating individually movable parts pivoted or hinged to or between said boards, with pivots for said linkage mounted or journaled in said boards in such manner that they may be readily matched with correctly positioned holes or bearings in the said boards, to permit ready mounting of the assembled linkage by the simple assembly of the boards in matching relation on opposite sides thereof in effecting the assembly of the body portions of the simulated animal.

Still further objects or advantages additional or subsidiary to the aforesaid objects, or resulting from the construction or operation of the said invention as it may be carried into effect, will become apparent as the said invention is hereinafter further disclosed.

In carrying the said invention into effect, I may provide the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, by way of example, having reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a device embodying the said invention; and

Figure 2 is a plan of the same.

Similar characters of reference indicate similar parts in both figures of the drawing.

The toy as illustrated is in the semblance of a horse constructed in general of flat boards, l0 and II being the sides of the body portion spaced by marginal members, l2, I3, l4 and 15, so disas at [8 to accommodate certain movable parts hereinafter described.

I9 and 20 represent the front and'rearflegs secured to the front and rear portions of the side members 10 and II of the body and mounted on the platform 2i which may be arrahg'ed'to rock in any convenient manner and is simply shown in the drawings as being pivoted at 221:0 side boards 23 of the base. 7 r

Carried between the said side boards 23 is a bracket .24 connected to an arcuate link 25, which may be of a springy nature and which at ZB is hinged to a rod 21 extending upwardly and then horizontally through the opening 11 of th body structure, the said rod 27 being pivoted at '28 and hinged at?!) to rods 30 and 31. Thesaic roiiii is also connected by a link 32 to a tail rod 33'fpivoted at .34 in the openings I6 terminating in the representation of a tail 35. v

Between the forward ends of the body boards "Ill and H is the hollow structural form of head 'fli movable on the hinge 3] and having a disk-like lower portion 38 rotatable in the opening provided at the forward ends of the members l2 and I5 of the .body structure; and pivoted thesaid head structure is a awmernber 39, pivotedatfll, the inner end of which member is hingedly connected at 4| to the end of the said rod 30.

The inner end of the jaw member 39 is also connected by rod 42 and crank 43 to a rocker shaft 44 passing laterally through the head structure and having the representation of ears 45 mounted on the ends thereof. Similarly, members 46 representing eyes rotatably journaled in the head structure are connected by the crank 41 and rod 48 to the outer portion of the said jaw member 39.

Intermediate of the body structure of the horse is positioned the pivot 49 of a rocker 50, one end of which is hinged at 5| to the rod 3|, hereinbefore referred to; and the other end at 52 to a. further rod 53 hinged at 54 to the disk-like portion of the head structure 38 at a point remote from the pivot 31.

An examination of the linkage referred to will disclose that the rocking of the horse, by a child riding on any suitable seat or saddle which may be placed on the body portion thereof, will cause the rod 21 to rock on its pivot 28 and thereby, through the rod 3|, operate the rocker which, in turn, through the agency of the rod 53 will swing the head portion 36 of the device upwardly and downwardly about the pivot 31. The disklike formation 38 will maintain a closure, during 3 such rocking motion, at the open end of the body portion of the device as will be readily observed.

At the same time motion of the rod 21 will be transmitted through the rod 30 to the rear portion of the jaw member 39, causing its opening and closing, and the motion will be further transmitted through the leaf springs 42 and 48 to the cars 45 and eyes 46 previously referred to.

The link 32 moved by the rod 21 will also rock the rod 33 on its pivot 34 thus providing movement for the tail member 35.

In assembling a device of this type, the members 25, 21, 30, 3|, 32, 33, 50, 53 and 39 with the V attachments 42, 43, 44, 46, 41 and 48 may be first assembled as a unit including the pivot members 28, 34, 49, 40 and 54, and the two side members of the head portion then assembled together with the pivot members 44 and 54 entering suitably positioned holes or bearings in the .said side boards of the head structure; so that Whenthe side boards and their spacing means are so assembled, and glued or otherwise secured together, the operating mechanism for a jaw 39, the eyes 46 and the ears 45, as well as the means for oscillating the head structure as a whole, will all be connected in operative relation without further connections or adjustments.

Similarly, the side boards l0 and I I of the body portion of the device are also fitted over the pivots 28, 34 and 49, which is but a simple operation, following which the link 25 may be connected to the bracket 24 and the whole general structure mounted on the pivots 22 of the frame 23. The pivot 31 of the head structure is of course assembled into the side boards of the body structure during the assembly of that structure as will be quite obvious. I V

An arrangement such as that described provides" a play horse, or such type of device, which is very attractive to children and in which the natural movement of various elements is secured without involving the use of gears, cams, slides and similar mechanisms calling for individual assembly or adjustment within the device, and is capable of withstanding extremely hard usage as the number of parts actually subjected to wear 4 are limited to the pivots and hinges described. Furthermore, undue shock which may be ordinarily imparted to the mechanism by violent usage may be greatly absorbed by the spring, bow-like form of the link 25.

This invention may be developed within the scope of the following claims without departing from the essential features of the said invention and it is desired that the specification and drawing be read as being merely illustrative of a practical embodiment of the said invention, and not in a strictly limiting sense.

What I claim is:

In a device of the class described, in combination, a simulated animal structure comprising a body portion having two spaced side walls having parallel opposed inner faces, a head portion also having two spaced parallel side walls pivotally mounted between side walls of said body portion, movable members in representation of anatomical details mounted in said head portion, mounting means providing for rocking of said device as a whole, a single lever fulcrummed in said body portion, a spring link connecting the lower end of said lever to a stationary part of said mounting means, and means linking the other end portion of said single lever with all movable parts of said device to effect their individual movement upon the actuation of said lever by the rocking of said device as a whole, said linkage means and said lever forming a structural assembly capable of installation in said body as a whole connected unit and solely supported by said side walls.

WALTER J. BARRETT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 411,643 Crandall Sept. 24, 1889 1,498,223 Zsarnay June 17, 1924 1,512,972 Zsarnay Oct. 28, 1924 2,421,270 Kendall May 27, 1947 2,425,517 Dollar Aug. 12, 1947 

